People who've worked in regional communities across Australia will often tell you it's some of the most rewarding work they'll ever do. However, it's becoming increasingly difficult to recruit essential workers.
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00:00It's a special day in Joon Joon Jarrah.
00:05Three cheers for Miss Rhonda.
00:07Hooray!
00:09Most of the people who live here have gathered at the school
00:12to say goodbye to Principal Rhonda Thorncroft.
00:15It's been a lot.
00:18You've put your heart and soul into something for four years
00:21and these kids get into you and community get into your heart.
00:25Joon Joon Jarrah is one of Australia's most remote desert communities.
00:29Last year flooding cut off road access completely for months
00:32and even today it takes ten hours on this gravel road
00:35to reach the nearest town.
00:37On the other side of the community,
00:39Kwabana Ansar has just started as the manager of the Spinifex Health Service.
00:43It's a stark contrast from his upbringing in Sydney.
00:46The remoteness here is quite extreme.
00:49Regional areas are struggling to attract workers nationwide
00:53but in remote areas staff shortages are even more acute.
00:57Remember we are competing in a very tight market
01:01when it comes to health service professionals.
01:03We need to do more health promotion.
01:05What we have is the challenge of having limited staff to do that.
01:09We're currently in a response era.
01:11It's a similar strain felt at the school.
01:14It's a 24-7 job.
01:16It's not a Monday to Friday.
01:18So we're quite isolated which some teachers have not handled.
01:21But the isolation doesn't bother everyone.
01:24It's a calm place.
01:26Really calm.
01:27Michael Stevens has been at the clinic for a decade.
01:30He's been working on building trust with the community
01:33where English isn't the first language for many people.
01:36Some old people they can't listen to English.
01:39So it's good to help the nurses.
01:43Tickle, tickle, tickle, tickle bum.
01:46Dentists Roxanne Gallagos and Dr Colin Endeen
01:49have been visiting the community several times a year since 2010.
01:53The most rewarding and important thing is the continuity of care.
01:59So I think everyone's appreciated that we come year after year.
02:05You can make a difference even if it's small.
02:08And that's just by being here.
02:09Dedicating time to a hobby has helped Quarbonah cope
02:12with being so far away from home.
02:14I have started baking and that's good.
02:17Donna Hay, I'm a big fan of Donna Hay.
02:19It's just an experience that you'll never get anywhere else.
02:23This is my third remote position
02:26and I've loved every single one of them.